The Apple is sometimes thrown from the tree
by juggernaut715
Summary: James's son turns out a bit different from his father.


_He'd been too distracted to hear the footsteps approaching from outside the room's door – too focused on what was in front of him. When the door opened and his father walked in he was caught unprepared. For a moment there was a blank silence, where they stated at each other with eyes wide.  
_ " _Son," James whispered, sounding faint, "what have you done?"  
What  
Have  
You done?_

The new guy was strange, Lucas Simms decided, sitting down at the bar, peering across the room to see the boy in the corner in one of the chairs. All he had got out of him, other than a promise that he wouldn't kill anyone in town, was that he was from a vault, and that he was looking for his father. He remembered James… faintly. The man was friendly, with a big smile and a helping hand, but Lucas could tell that he was also ambitious. Something about the way he walked – deliberately, with purpose. His son, who hadn't even given his name, had the same air around him. He walked into Megaton like he owned the place, with confidence - but no big smile like his father.  
The boy's face was blank. Empty.  
Still, he helped around town. Word was he was the one who fixed all of the leaks in the water pipes.  
The subject of Lucas's thoughts chose that moment to stand up from his chair and – walk directly to him, sidling into the chair next to his and surreptitiously passing an item. Lucas glanced down at it – a pulse grenade. He barely restrained himself from jumping out of his chair.

"Do you know who Allistair Tenpenny is?" The boy asked, quietly, his eyes focused on Gob, who was wiping a glass with a dirty rag. Lucas followed the line of sight and then looked back at the object now in his hand.

"He…he owns an apartment building southwest of here. Rich guy, whole lot of mercs work for him."

"Burke wants me to blow up Megaton for Tenpenny. He offered me a lot of caps. A _lot_ of caps." The youth glanced sideways, and for a moment Lucas felt like he was a sheep sitting next to a wolf. "I don't need a pulse grenade to make that big bomb go boom, chief. Can you beat his offer?"

"How much?" When did his mouth get so dry?

"A thousand caps." The face was still blank. "You throw a house on that, and I'll disarm the bomb, make it inert, so this scenario won't occur again in the future. I'll also take care of Burke."

The pulse grenade was heavy. Lucas shoved it into his pocket, then peered behind the youth's head. Burke was sitting in the corner, staring right at them, a small smirk on his face - probably misinterpreting their conversation as something else. He sighed.

"I won't be able to pay you immediately. I'll have to ask around for the money."

"I could also do it for free." The youth said, face still blank. "If you do me a favor."

"Yeah? What's that?" Lucas asked, unsure of what might be worth 1000 caps and a place of residence.

"Look the other way when I kill Moriarty."

As if summoned by his name, the Scotsman poked his head out of the backroom like a weasel.

"Ah, it's the newcomer!" He said, striding to stand in front of him and Lucas. "And the sheriff too, my favorite customers! What'll it be, my friends?"

Lucas looked at Colin, then at the youth, then at Burke again, who was now frowning. He then stood up and stepped away from the bar, turning his gaze back to the youth, who stared right back.

"Just don't make too big of a mess."

One hand grabbed Moriarty by the beard and tugged downwards to slam his chin on the bar. The man tried to yell something but a pair of thumbs lanced through his eyes and all he could do was scream. In a flourish, the corpse of Colin was flung over the bar and across the room to slam into the now standing Burke, knocking him to the floor. It was then that the youth from the vault produced a lead pipe from his bag, and turned the man's four-eyed face into no-eyed paste.

It had been a while since Lucas had witnessed such outright brutality. Lucy, in the corner, was screaming her head off. Nova and Gob were gone, probably hiding under the bar or upstairs. Jericho wasn't even paying attention, too drunk to notice.

"I'll take care of the bomb." The youth said, pulling Lucas from his dazed and horrified state. "Put the bodies in my house."

"What-"

"Put the bodies." The youth said, dropping the lead pipe on the floor, and rolling his shoulder.. "In my house."

"Alright." Lucas said. "Alright."

Yes, James and his son were very different people.


End file.
